Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Shipping: Innovation and Research

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the research and innovation budget is allocated to support the maritime sector in the financial years (1) 2022–23, and (2) 2023–24.

Lord Callanan: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI’s) detailed three-year budget allocations were confirmed in March, setting out how UKRI will invest £25 billion in world-class research and innovation, including £206 million in new funding for development of clean maritime technologies in 2022/23 to 2024/25. The breakdown of allocations within each UKRI Council are still to be set.Additionally, as part of their wider research programmes, the Met Office carries out research to develop ocean forecasts, which underpins operational services provided to support the maritime sector. Funding for this is in the order of £1.5 million per annum in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

KPMG: Silentnight

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Callanan on 2 November 2021 (HL3320) and 1 February (HL5516), what progress they have made in bringing criminal charges against KPMG's insolvency partner for misconduct during the Silentnight insolvency.

Lord Callanan: The Insolvency Service has reviewed the evidence in this case, including the contents of the Financial Reporting Counsel’s Disciplinary Tribunal Report. A decision was reached that it was not in the public interest to commence a criminal investigation.

Insolvency: Prosecutions

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publisha table showing the number of (1) civil, and (2) criminal, prosecutions brought by the Insolvency Service against insolvency practitioners for abusive practices.

Lord Callanan: Insolvency Practitioners are regulated by Recognised Professional Bodies, which are monitored by the Insolvency Service. It publishes an annual review of Insolvency Practitioner regulation on Gov.Uk. which includes details of regulatory and disciplinary sanctions issued against Insolvency Practitioners. The most recent review was published in June 2022. In 2021 the Recognised Professional Bodies revoked the licences of four Insolvency Practitioners following regulatory and disciplinary action.

Renewable Energy

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they provide to encourage (1) business, (2) industry, and (3) agriculture, to (a) participate in, and (b) install, alternative forms of energy generation such as wind, solar, or wood pellets.

Lord Callanan: The Government supports large-scale renewable generation through the Contracts for Difference Scheme. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the Government scheme that ensures businesses, industry and agriculture can have a route to market for exported generation from small scale and eligible technologies such as solar or wind. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides upfront grants of £5,000 towards the installation of biomass boilers with an installation capacity up to 45kWth.

Department of Health and Social Care

Monkeypox: Disease Control

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the World Health Organisation Director-General's statement on 25 June, in which he declared the Monkeypox outbreak an "evolving health threat", what steps they are taking to stop the spread of that virus.

Lord Kamall: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working with system partners to prevent onward transmission of the monkeypox virus, raising awareness of the outbreak and advising the public on symptoms and how to access the appropriate treatment options.The UKHSA has procured more than 20,000 doses of the smallpox vaccine Imvanex, which is being offered to identified close contacts of those diagnosed with monkeypox to reduce the risk of symptomatic infection and severe illness. On 21 June 2022, the UKHSA recommended that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered the vaccine to control the outbreak. Vaccines are also being offered to at risk healthcare workers.

Attorney General

Rape: Prosecutions

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Bellamy on 28 June (HL Deb, col 580), what plans the Attorney General has to meet the Chairman of the Bar Association to discuss delays in dealing with rape cases.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: A key part the Attorney General’s role as head of the profession is meeting regularly with the leaders of the Professional bodies to discuss matters of relevance within the criminal justice system including the Chair of the Bar Council, the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, the President of the Law Society and the Bar Circuit Leaders. These valuable and productive meetings enable the Law Officers to understand the issues affecting front-line practitioners, so that they are able to articulate their concerns to ministerial colleagues to ensure that in the development of government policy, the views of the profession are reflected and understood. Agendas for these meetings are prepared so as to allow flexibility, in order to allow for discussion of topical issues. Such issues include the views of practitioners on the Crown Court backlog, government initiatives such as the roll out of s.28 and how we are working together to improve the system performance in relation to rape cases. The regular monthly meetings of the Bar Council are attended either by the Attorney or the Solicitor General, so as to allow the Law Officers a full understanding of the issues that are affecting front-line practitioners.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Bellamy on 28 June (HL Deb, col 580) that Lord Stewart of Dirleton will lead on legal aid for the government in this House, due to Lord Bellamy’s previous independent review of criminal legal aid, whether this is a temporary arrangement during the period of industrial action by barristers; whether Lord Bellamy took this decision on the basis of advice; whether Lord Bellamy will be taking any ministerial decisions or authorising papers related to legal aid in his Ministerial role; and whether Lord Bellamy will be able to comment as a Minister on any aspects of the implementation of the review’s recommendations.

Lord Bellamy: On appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice on 7 June 2022, Lord Bellamy followed the process on declaration of interests as set out in the Ministerial Code, which includes taking account of advice received from the Independent Adviser. In light of his previous role as Chair of the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid and the advice received, he recused himself from any role in implementing the Review or deliberations regarding its consequences. Ministerial responsibility rests with Minister Dines. Provision will be made for other Ministers to answer for these matters in this House so that the recusal is properly observed.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reports of Israeli authorities not intervening when Mr Ali Hasan Harb was attacked in the West Bank by an Israeli settler.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of this case and are monitoring closely. The UK regularly raises the issue of settler violence with the Government of Israel. We welcome discussion by the Israeli authorities on how to address this issue, and urge Israel to bring those responsible to justice. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Poland: Holocaust

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, during their chairmanship of the 2024 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, to call on Poland (1) to honour its commitment to the democratic principle of property rights, and (2) to resolve the claims of those whose property was stolen in Poland during the Holocaust.

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, during their chairmanship of the 2024 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, to prioritise the case for Poland to set up a scheme (1) to make restitution of, and (2) to commemorate, private property stolen during the Holocaust.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is an important intergovernmental organisation uniting governments and experts to strengthen Holocaust remembrance. The UK is still considering the focus of its chairmanship in 2024. IHRA's remit does not include property restitution.The UK continues to meet its commitments under the Terezín declaration. The UK has raised concerns with the Polish Government about legislation introduced last year on property restitution. The UK's Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues, Lord Pickles, has followed developments closely and, through the British Embassy in Warsaw, we have been acting in consultation with our likeminded partners to engage with the Polish Government. Following the passage of the legislation, which the UK Government judges will have a negative effect on legitimate claimants, the then Minister for Europe (Wendy Morton) publicly expressed her disappointment and called for legal avenues for claims to remain open. Lord Pickles will chair a discussion on restitution at the Terezín Declaration Conference on the 3rd of November 2022. Working with like-minded partners and the World Jewish Restitution Organisation (WJRO), FCDO will continue to urge Poland to fairly, objectively and sensitively deal with Holocaust-era property restitution.

Sanctions

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 June (HL854), whether they will now answer the question put, namely,what assessment they have made of the report by Lord Skidelsky Economic Sanctions: A Weapon out of Control, published in April; and in particular, what assessment they have made of the conclusion that "They [sanctions] should come into play only after diplomacy has been exhausted, never as an alternative to it. This has not been the case in the present conflict".

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK uses sanctions as part of a broader political strategy, a comprehensive approach encompassing the full range of diplomatic actions. Russia's assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state that threatens global security. There can be no negotiated settlement which replicates the Minsk Agreement, which came at the expense of Ukraine's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Prior to Russia's further invasion, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and the Secretary of State for Defence visited Moscow and the Prime Minister spoke to Putin. However, Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and has made clear he will not stop at Ukraine in his ambitions, but go further by targeting other sovereign nations. In the face of rising aggression we must be assertive in use of our economic levers such as sanctions, and the UK will continue ratcheting up economic pressure in order to cripple Putin's war machine.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have donated surplus COVID-19 vaccination doses to developing countries since June 2021; and if not, how many doses have been donated.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As of 1 July, the UK has donated 84.4 million covid-19 vaccines. Of these approximately 76.5 million have been donated to COVAX, and 7.9 million have been donated directly by the UK to countries in need.Global supply of covid-19 vaccines now far outstrips demand, meaning countries have greater access to vaccines and dose donations are no longer critical. We are working with COVAX and other international partners to ensure that developing countries are able to roll-out vaccines and meet their national vaccination targets.

Kashmir: Crimes of Violence

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India regarding reports of increased targeted killings and violence by militants against Hindus, including Kashmiri Pandits, in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of reports of ongoing violence in Kashmir and are monitoring closely. We unequivocally condemn the killings which have been carried out by militant groups in Kashmir and extend condolences to the families of those killed. We condemn any instances of discrimination because of Freedom of Religion or Belief, regardless of the country or faith involved.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning reports that several family members in Jenin were used as human shields by Israeli forces on 13 May.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children. We also regularly raise the importance of the Israeli security force's adherence to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comment by a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson to the Middle East Eye on 22 June which said that “a number of human rights cases were raised with senior members of the Bahrain Government by Lord Ahmad during his visit in February”, why the FCDO said that it does not hold any information about cases raised during Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon's February visit to Bahrain in response to Freedom of Information request FOI2022/13659.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] discussed a number of human rights cases with senior members of the Bahrain Government and the oversight bodies during my visit in February, including the then Justice Minister, HE Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, and Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. More recently, I again raised human rights issues during a meeting with the Foreign Minister in London.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claimants were overpaid Universal Credit, due to no fault of their own, in the financial year 2020/21; and in what proportion of those cases the overpaid money was recovered.

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claimants, who were overpaid Universal Credit due to no fault of their own in the financial year of 2020/21, asked for a waiver of the recovery of the money; and how many claimants were granted such a waiver.

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances they waive the recovery of overpayments of Universal Credit due to no fault of the claimant.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department is not able to specifically match the official error cases to debt recovery figures. However, all overpayments of UC are recoverable, irrespective of how the overpayment arose.The Department did not record waiver requests by overpayment classification prior to February 2021. From February to the end of the 2021, DWP Debt Management received a total of 96 waiver requests in relation to UC overpayments with a classification of official error, 9 of which were agreed.Waivers are only granted in exceptional circumstances, usually where the recovery of the overpayment is causing substantial medical and/or financial hardship, and it can be clearly demonstrated that the debtor’s circumstances will only improve by waiver of the debt.However, any claimants struggling with the proposed rate of deductions are encouraged to contact DWP Debt Management to discuss affordability, so that a lower repayment rate can be negotiated as appropriate.

Way to Work Scheme

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals out of the target of 500,000 have been helped into paid work through the "Way to Work" campaign, up to the end of June.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: During the Way to Work Campaign between 31 January and the end of 30 June 2022 we estimate that at least 520,400 unemployed Universal Credit claimants and Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimants have moved into work.This total figure is composed of our into work measure to the end of May (over 386,000) and our internal management information up to 26 June (58,900). We are now also able to include JSA claimants who have moved into work between 31 January and 9 June 2022 (35,100) into our total. Furthermore, we have also included those claimants with a sanction in place that moved into work during the period of the campaign up to 26 June (25,400). Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency and timeliness.

Home Office

Asylum

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the distribution of asylum seekers across the country.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: On 13th April 2022, it was announced with immediate effect we would move to a full model for dispersal, to end our reliance on the use of contingency accommodation.We have committed to working with local authorities to move to a fairer distribution of asylum seekers. All local authority areas in England, Scotland and Wales will be expected to participate in the new system to ensure this occurs.

TLScontact: Standards

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assess the (1) efficiency, and (2) effectiveness, of the Home Office’s agent company TLScontact in relation to its work handling visa applications; and what reporting the Home Office requires from TLScontact for routine oversight of this work.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We closely monitor and manage the contract with TLS and robustly review how they are performing to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in handling visa applications. This includes holding Monthly Performance Calls with TLS to assess their performance in line with the Service Level Agreement (SLA) in the contract. We have a clear governance process in place to ensure any incidents, risks and issues and capacity is managed clearly with them. As part of the monthly reporting cycle, we request TLS produce a monthly performance report focussing on the Critical Service Levels (CSLs) and Non Critical Service Levels (NCSLs) by region and Visa Application Centre (VAC). This enables us to manage any service level failures appropriately. Alongside this, we maintain routine oversight of TLS work by requesting incident reports, risk and issue logs, demand and capacity information and regular updates on key activities.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Levelling Up Fund: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what allocations have been made from the Levelling Up Fund, and to which recipients, in Northern Ireland since its creation.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Almost £49 million has been awarded to 11 bids in Northern Ireland through the first round of the Levelling Up Fund. A list of the successful grant recipients along with the amount awarded, has been published on GOV.UK.The second round of the Fund is currently open. We look forward to receiving high-quality applications from across Northern Ireland.

Levelling Up Fund

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the rejection of the bids from 28 of England’s most deprived areas in the first round of levelling up funding; and what plans they have to ensure that such funding reaches the most deprived areas in England.

Lord Harrington of Watford: The Levelling Up Fund is a competitive fund, with funding distributed on the basis of successful project selection. In line with the Fund’s goal to bring meaningful investment to every part of the UK, at least 9% of total UK allocations will be set aside for Scotland, 5% for Wales, and 3% for Northern Ireland, subject to a suitable number of high-quality bids coming forward.Funding is targeted towards places in England, Scotland, and Wales that are most in need of the type of investment the Fund provides, as measured by an Index of Priority Places that takes into account the need for economic recovery and growth improved transport connectivity and regeneration.The Fund is delivered as part of a broad package of complementary UK-wide interventions to ensure all places can access the support they need.

Private Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toprovide low-interest long term loans to non-qualifying buy-to-lent landlords with more than two leasehold properties who are unable to afford fire safety remedial costs.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the number of non-qualifying buy-to-let landlords with two or more leasehold properties who will go bankrupt due to being unable to afford fire safety remedial work.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the number of non-qualifying buy-to-let landlords with more than two leasehold properties who (1) are unable to sell their properties, and (2) are unable to afford the fire safety remedial work.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they plan to provide tonon-qualifying buy-to-let landlords with more than two leasehold properties who (1) are unable to sell their properties, and (2) are unable to afford the fire safety remedial work.

Lord Harrington of Watford: We are clear that leaseholders are no longer the first port of call to pay to fix building safety defects, we have taken action to support all leaseholders. The Building Safety Act will require that historical safety defects in any building above 11 metres or five storeys owned by the developer who built or refurbished it, or by a landlord associated with that developer, must be fixed by them. And over 45 developers have signed up to our developer pledge to fix their own buildings. This will benefit all leaseholders in the building.In addition, leaseholders, including those with more than three properties may also benefit from government grant funding for the removal of unsafe cladding.Where more than three properties are owned, the principal home always qualifies for the leaseholder protections, capping liability for building safety remediation costs on this property. We have also made changes to enable compensation to be sought through the civil courts for historic building safety defects from those responsible. We are, therefore, not planning to provide low-interest long term loans to non-qualifying buy-to-lent landlords.The risk of bankruptcy is subject to personal circumstances and usually as a result of a myriad of factors. The action that the government has taken in legislation is to reduce this risk for the majority of people, regardless of their circumstances, when previously they would have faced exorbitant bills. We would hope that following the action we have taken no leaseholder, regardless of how many properties they own, will now face the risk of bankruptcy. We understand that those with multiple properties are better insulated from this risk.

Cabinet Office

Members: Disqualification

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the criteria for disqualification tostand as a candidate for Parliament to include disqualification if named on the Sex Offenders Register; and if so, when.

Lord True: The Government is not currently planning to legislate to extend the disqualification criteria for UK Parliamentary General Elections beyond the criteria currently set out in the House of Commons Disqualification Act and the Representation of the People’s Act. We are keeping this issue under review and are committed to ensuring that our electoral arrangements are fit for purpose. In respect of Members of the House of Lords, HoLAC provides advice on nominations for all life peers, to ensure the highest standards of propriety.

Treasury

Energy: Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to build a review mechanism into the energy profits levy.

Baroness Penn: The Energy Profits Levy will raise around £5 billion over the next year which will help fund more cost of living support for households. The Levy will be temporary, and will be phased out if oil and gas prices return to historically more normal levels. A sunset clause effective 31 December 2025 will be written into the legislation. The Government keeps all taxes under review and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.